Bangladesh ex-politicians, army officers sentenced to death for smuggling arms

By Farid Ahmed, CNN

Updated 7:29 AM ET, Thu January 30, 2014

Bangladesh ex-home minister Lutfozzaman Babar (center) waves in a court in Chittagong on January 30, 2014.

Story highlights

Of the 52 people initially accused, 38 were acquitted

Police seized trucks of sophisticated arms and ammunition

Officials sentenced included the ex-director of army intelligence

A Bangladeshi court Thursday sentenced 14 people to death for smuggling sophisticated arms and ammunition in a case that dates a decade ago.

A court in the southeast port city of Chittagong announced the verdict for the group that included two ex- ministers, former government officials and a top separatist movement leader in India's northeast state of Assam.

Police seized 10 trucks of sophisticated arms and ammunition in April 2004 while they were getting offloaded in a state-run factory supervised by the industry ministry.